


History Has its Eyes on You

by mandaree1



Series: Endgame AU [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: (No worries), (that literally doesn't effect this story tho), Endgame AU, F/F, Gen, No on expects the HOLLYDEMPTION, Nonbinary Connie, Singing and crying, Well not really crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-07 02:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11049285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandaree1/pseuds/mandaree1
Summary: Connie takes the Crystal Gem pledge. The Famethyst are looking for a new leader. Skinny is vying for Amethyst to take Holly Blue's place. Holly Blue isn't saying much. They all gather together for a mission of Famethyst proportions.





	1. Part One

Connie picked at their simple green shirt with a considering frown. Their black leggings gave way to simple boots, tied with careful tugs. Their long hair was braided. "Are you  _sure_  this is okay? I feel like I should be more fancy-smancy for this."

Steven laughed. At seventeen, he came up to the middle of their arm. "You look great. Really."

"Ooh, Amethyst!" Pearl's voice hit that high range that the purple Gem couldn't personally reach without cracking as she plucked Amethyst off the floor, hugging her to her chest like a teddy bear. "I'm just so excited!"

"I noticed," she said.

The ocean thudded peacefully outside the Temple. Warm, salty air flooded the room, giving it a comfy glow. Garnet sat happily on the warp pad as Connie checked themselves over. Pearl paced back and forth excitedly on the main floor, boards creaking, Amethyst swinging in her arms.

Connie, at almost sixteen years of age, was much taller than they'd been as a child, coming in at almost Pearl's shoulders. Their hands were covered in scars from training mishaps, hands they now wrung nervously. Their shoulders were wide and bulky, midriff and chest flat. Their legs were eternally long.

"S'nice day for this," Garnet said.

Connie turned to her. "Has Peridot done this yet?"

"Nope."

"Jasper?"

"Obviously not."

"The Famethyst?"

"They've never been loyal to  _us_. You oughta know that by now."

"Hey," Amethyst warned, frowning.

"'M not saying they aren't loyal, Amethyst. They simply aren't loyal to the Crystal Gems."

"So, I'm the first in  _how_  long?"

"Since Amethyst, so... couple thousand years, give or take."

"Oh." Connie looked ill. "I see."

Pearl released Amethyst with a final squeeze, striding over to put her hands on their shoulders. "Oh, I'm so  _proud_  of you, Connie! You've come so far!"

"Thank you, ma'am." They smiled sheepishly. "I hope I'm not too casual for this."

"We're beings of light, Con'." Amethyst put in. She hadn't risen from the spot she had been dropped. "What do we care about fancy clothes?"

"You have a subscription to a clothing magazine," Pearl pointed out.

"Listen. You ever seen the ladies in those things? They need to  _eat_ , but they've got killer hair."

"We don't care what you look like," Garnet affirmed. "Jus' be comfy."

Connie let out a small sigh of relief. "In that case, we should get moving."

* * *

"So, lemme get this straight," Skinny said. "Ya'll have an oath."

"Yup."

"That ya'll can take willingly."

"Yup."

"And you can still be a Crystal Gem if you don't take said oath?"

"Yup."

"What's the  _point_ , then?"

The Jasper swung her legs. They had made it a habit of meeting up at the cliff every week or so, idly chatting. Something about the endless ocean in front, rolling against the shore, made their rendezvous feel private, despite the fact the rest of the Famethyst lived in the lighthouse. Skinny sat while Amethyst laid down, legs to the breeze. The fall always seemed to make her feel uneasy. Seagulls cried in the distance.

"IDK, honestly." Amethyst shrugged. "Tradition, I guess? We do it as Rose's Fountain, so that's probably got somethin' to do with it."

"You mean in front of that  _huge_  cloddin' statue?"

"That's the one."

"Yeesh. No pressure."

"Nah. Rose always was larger than life. It's... actually pretty comforting, feelin' small in  _that_  way."

"You miss her, huh?"

"You would too, if you'd known her."

"Regardless, we know what it's like to lose someone important."

"Pink Diamond and Rose were completely different, dude."

Skinny raised an eyebrow. "Were they?"

"Rose was like a mom to us, not a leader. I mean, she was for  _me_. I didn't know wartime Rose. She saved me, you know?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I was super scared when I heard the warp pad. I was a solo Amethyst, all alone in the big Kindergarten. Made myself look all huge and tough, like Purple Puma, only without all the silly-lookin' gear." She laughed bitterly. "Pearl and Garnet almost shattered me."

"It must've been like looking at a ghost, to them."

"'Xactly.  _Rose_  was the one who calmed me down.  _Rose_  was the one who noticed my gem didn't fit my bod.  _Rose_  was the one who wanted to take me back to the Temple."

"Be that as it may, Pink Diamond is the reason you're _alive_. That  _any_  of us are alive. That doesn't mean we have to be loyal to either one."

"Yeesh. Ferocious, much?"

"I don't like it when you go on and on about her. It's like you see her as a Diamond."

"She  _was_  our Diamond. Only, y'know, less Diamond-y. Now she's dead, and we're on our own. You get that at least, don't you?"

Skinny sighs. "Low blow, Runty."

"I hate that nickname."

"Most of us hate our first-draft nickname. We'll find you a better one soon, promise."

"You better."

"Anyway, back to this oath thing. Do you gotta, like, chant something? Do they sprinkle the remains of a shattered Gem on your shoulders?"

"Ew, no. You just kneel, and then Pearl puts a sword or whatever on your shoulder, and Garnet tells ya' all the rules of being a Crystal Gem, and you say you'll follow them. Boom! You're in."

"That simple?"

"Well, you used to have to shapeshift on a star- like you're freeing yourself of Homeworld or whatever- but Connie can't exactly do that. They  _did_  mention a tattoo parlor willing to do 'em up, though, so they should have a star pretty soon."

"Tattoo?"

"Skin art. Somebody'll needle in a star."

"I feel like that would be painful."

"Connie's tough. 'Sides, it's not so bad. I tried it, once; it was gone the next time I reformed."

Skinny tapped her gem. "You could always shapeshift somethin'."

"I'm more of an all or nothin' kind of gal, really. Details like that aren't usually my best work."

"Did you take this oath thingy-majig?"

"'Course."

"Ah. Maybe we oughta, then."

"Nobody expects you to."

"I know. But you took it, so..."

Amethyst bristles, sitting up. "We've talked about this."

"Runty, we're Quartzes. You didn't really think we'd give up  _that_  easily, did you?"

"I would've."

"That's 'cause you're stubborn in, like, a passive-aggressive way." Skinny shrugged, running a hand through her short hair. "If you don't do it, who will? Holly certainly ain't our leader anymore- if she ever was."

"How's she doin', by the way?"

"No idea. She tends to keep her distance. Sleeps all by herself at the top of the lighthouse. She ain't complained, though, so I guess she's doin' decent."

"I didn't think Gems like Holly slept."

"Well, we don't really know what she gets up to at night, but I'd like to think she's a sleeper. Better than her just staring at a wall or the sea for hours on end."

"Pearl likes to do that. She says it's calming."

"We're getting off-topic."

"I mean, I prefer this topic to the thing we were talking about before."

"Give it a try."

"No."

"Just one mission."

"I  _said_  no."

"I know you did." Her light fingers were now tapping her thigh. "But I also know you've got the credentials."

"A whip ain't a credential."

"You're also Earth-smart. You're a lot less rowdier than we are, too, which can't hurt, and you've got that loud voice we need for all of us to hear you."

"I keep tellin' you; get Jay to do it."

"And _I_  keep telling you she says no."

"You respect her, but not me." She sounds hurt. She  _is_  hurt.

"If I didn't respect you, I wouldn't be pestering you." She dismissed. "I just think you can do better than a lacky to a fusion and a pearl."

"Pearl. Just Pearl. And her name is Garnet."

"I might just mention this to Garnet."

"Do it." She turned away. "She'll shoot you down."

* * *

"Try it," Garnet says. "It won't hurt."

Amethyst found it mildly ironic that the fusion was coaxing her to lead a mission via a lecture, lounging back on the couch. "I trusted you, G. You were supposed to tell Skinny no."

"The Famethyst need a leader, and you're a good choice. I don't see what right I have to refuse."

"You can't  _make_  me do anything," she put in mildly.

"No," Garnet agreed, "I can't."

"So this is all pointless."

"This is me giving my  _permission_. Go. Take Connie with you. They've been itching to get into the field."

That much is true. Connie tries to act like it's no big deal, but they keeping glancing at Garnet, awaiting assignment. Amethyst admired their tenacity.

"You want me to make my own decisions and be a leader," she said instead, "by ordering me around."

Garnet's mouth opens, then shuts. "That's fair."

"I'm too small for the big Gems, G. I've never exactly been the leader type, either."

"I think you're selling yourself short."

"So we both agree height is a factor, then?"

Garnet ignored that jibe. "Regardless, I'm going to ask them to go on a mission, and I hope that you'll join them. Give 'em a few hints."

"You're playin' with fire, Garnet," she warned.

She smirked. "I think I can take the heat."

* * *

There's a twinge, a little itch between the shoulder blades, that Amethyst steadfastly ignores. She doesn't have the right to question Garnet, and she certainly doesn't have the right to speak for the Famethyst, but... it feels a bit  _ichy_ , you know? They aren't connected to the Crystal Gems, but here they are, asking them to push onwards in their place.

It's not that complicated, of course. They were asked, and so they accepted, eagerly squishing onto the warp pad. Amethyst thought Holly Blue looked particularly displeased, shoulders straight, leaning as far away as she could from their touch without falling off and causing herself further embarrassment. They all took it as a good turn that she was willing to go at all, tight-lipped or not. With Garnet leading them, the major ruling Gems on the planet, it felt a bit like they had no _choice_  but to accept.

Amethyst knows it's just her overthinking things, as always. She pats Connie on the hip- it's as high as she can reach- and squirms to stand next to Carnelian, who gifts her the smile of a Gem who knows how nice it can be to be short in a crowd of big'uns.

It doesn't occur to Amethyst that they haven't seen a mountainside before until they all ooh and aah, rapidly climbing off to explore. Amethyst nonchalantly follows, Connie by her side. Holly's lips quirk- it's hard to say if it's a positive reaction or not- as she clenches a hand against her chest, daintily stepping off the warp pad. The second group blips in soon after, Steven controlling their destination, and then they're on their own.

"What now?" Connie asks quietly.

"We walk around." Amethyst shrugs. "It'll come to us."

* * *

They go for a day, then two. The Famethyst moves like a herd- they generally go the same way but break off and explore and get caught up by small little things Amethyst hasn't been amazed with in decades. They watch seed pods flutter to the ground; gasp when a deer spots them and sprints away. They especially have an interest in the things Connie eats- fish and small prey. They like the 'low tech' feeling of fire.

"We're easy to please," Skinny says, one time, with a shrug. "With our old jobs being so sucky and boring, we kinda had to be."

"And Holly?" she asks in a low murmur, extremely off-put by the Agate's hundred yard stare. She's always on watch- at least, at the lighthouse, she lets her shoulders fall, lets herself sit down at the edges and listen. Now her hands twitch toward her neck whenever a twig snaps.

Skinny hiccups a laugh. "She may be a blowhard, but she's no slacker. It's, like, her one redeeming quality."

Chip's voice crawls over the horizon, though Amethyst hadn't noticed her disappear. "Heeeey! Boss Lady! Heeeeey!"

Connie coughs politely into their fist, stifling a laugh. "I think she means you."

"Good for her; I don't come when called."

"There's a buncha water over here!"

"Shoot. She's gonna get her lungs full of it, isn't she?"

"Probably."

"Alright, fine." Amethyst raised her voice. "Fan out and the find the cranberry!"

"She's over that way." Holly Blue grimly pointed to the East of them, past a ditch and into some deeper terrain, face like she'd swallowed a couple lemons and found she hated the acid.

"Never mind, then. Follow Holly!"

"I'm not leading," said Holly.

"Dangit, Holly, just get us to Chip," Skinny snaps, crossing lengthy arms.

Holly blinked at her, seemed to control herself, and instinctively moved to the side, letting the other Amethysts and Jaspers charge by in a bundle. She met Skinny's gaze defiantly then followed, almost seeming to strut.

Amethyst whistled. "Holly got  _sass_."

"Oh,  _please_ ," Skinny said, looking caught between anger and humor. "She just doesn't wanna lead a buncha traitors. You'd think she'd realized she's technically a traitor too."

"Ah, but  _she_  left to save her gem. That's  _totally_  different." Amethyst smiled with all her teeth. "You oughta know how hypocrites think by now, stripe-face."

Skinny scoffed at the new nickname. She reluctantly strolled after the rapidly vanishing crowd, spindly limbs prominent compared to the more contained Prime Gem as they ducked branches. "Just 'cause she's not off-color, she thinks she's so great."

Amethyst thought of Jasper, metaphorical heart sinking. Her stripes were different from what was typically uniform- thin on the face, thick every where else- but she didn't think Holly Blue would have much to say if they met face to face. They were on better terms, now, but she still found her intimidating. Maybe it was from the squint she carried now; a pleasant keepsake she hadn't bothered to try and fix. The eye still worked, so why bother? "She really should know better by now."

"You think?"

"Stupid question; am  _I_  off-color? It's not like anybody here would tell me if I was."

"Nah." She shook her head. "Just short. Dunno how you think you can intimidate anybody at your size."

"I mean, I'm at eye-level with your stone. One punch and your scrawny little butt is gone."

"Ooh, so scary."

"Not as scary as a stiff breeze, I'm sure."

"You remind me of a... of a..." Skinny paused, swearing under her breath. "Forgot the word. My burn is useless now."

"Describe it."

"It's that... blegh, I can't word today. That weird thing of Steven's."

"Steven's got a  _lot_  of weird things. You're gonna have to be more specific."

She snapped her fingers. "That half-circle... looks like a snowglobe that got squished."

" _Ohh_!" Realization dawned on her. "You're comparing me to a paperweight?"

"A paperweight! Yes, thank you. You're short, low to the ground, wide, and heavy."

"So I'm a fat glass object. Thanks."

She winked at her. "You know it, jewel."

"On Earth, we say 'babe.'"

"That's a baby. That's weird."

"Runty! Skinny!" XL yelled. "Hurry up!"

They both broke into a sprint. The Famethyst had made themselves quite comfortable, splashing and rinsing. Connie is grumbling as they pluck off their shirt, revealing a torso and chest edged with scars. Judging by the mud caking their back and legs, they tripped during the race over.

"I suppose this is a good sign," they said, slipping into the pond. "All the bad Karma I'm getting'll mean plenty of good Karma during the fight. If you believe in that sort of thing."

Amethyst settled in next to where they're soaking, dipping her boots into the water. It's chilly, though that hardly matters to Gems. "I'm thinking we head for that flat place towards the top and wait."

Connie nodded. "Open ground. Plenty of space. Things get dicey, we can always chuck the corruption off, Plague Dog styles."

Carnelian burst from the water, right to Connie. She slung an arm around their shoulders. "Yooo, we still gotta give you a nickname. Everybody's gotta have a nickname."

"We usually just call 'em, Con'," Amethyst offered.

Carnelian waved her off. "S'gotta be somethin' original."

"Like Runty and Skinny are  _so_  original," Skinny snorts, finally dipping in. Standing at the edge leaves the water at her hips.

"Runty is a prototype name. Guys, what're we gonna call Con'?"

"Slice 'N Dice?"

"Eagle Two?"

"The Little Human That Could?"

"Meatball?"

"Deathblade?"

"What about Renegade?"

They all turned to stare at Holly's thoughtful tone. She noticed, flicking a hand dismissively. "It's what they always called that Pearl. During the war."

"Uh, _duh_ , everybody knows that," Sharky said. "We just never thought of that."

Carnelian excitedly pulled herself onto the edge. "Yay for Holly, finally figuring out how to nickname Gems!"

"I'm not a Gem," Connie interjected weakly, uncomfortable under their scrutiny.

"Not true." Skinny rifled through their hair with a smirk. "You're a Crystal Gem. That's what that whole oath thing was about, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, she's a member of the Fam now too," Carnelian threatened to bubble over, still fairly hyped. "Yay for Holly! Yay for Renegade!"

Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone else get cool nicknames?"

"For the  _hundredth_  time, littlest sis," said Carnelian, "Runty is a  _prototype_. Maybe we'll think of somethin' later. Unless Holly has another bright idea?"

Holly's brow furrowed with displeasure. "Runty is... fitting."

Skinny cradled her chin on her hands. "Aw, the big bad Agate doesn't like being called on by the Betas." She splashed the water like one pats a place to sit. "Come'on. You should at least get those fancy boots of yours clean."

They all collectively shift as the blue Gem hesitantly approached, shoulder squared. Carnelian, Amethyst, and Connie all moved closer to each other and away, whereas the Jasper moved closer, as if in invitation. Faster than the eye could follow, Skinny grabbed her boot and yanked her in. Holly let out a high-pitched squeak which would later mortify her as she hit.

"Ouch, Skin-Skin," Amethyst wheezed, trying desperately to control herself. "You're  _brutal_."

Holly breached the surface, rolling onto her rear. One of her pristine buns had been knocked askew. She looked surprised, then enraged, catching Skinny's eye.

"Come'on, big bad," she urged. "Learn to play a little."

"I'm going to shatter you," she replied, "shard by shard."

"Whoa, looks like I'm gon' die." The Gem was already climbing out. "Runty, a little help?"

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm a soft little defect. Probably the weakest on this little adventure."

"Ahem," said Connie, with the express purpose of inviting criticism.

" _Definitely_  the weakest on this team," Amethyst rectified.

Holly thundered out of the pond with great vengeance, chasing after the Beta Gem with a roar. Skinny ducked- Holly's fist embedded itself in a tree. "It was  _funny_ , Holly!"

" _Funny_?" The Agate wrenched herself free with a splutter. "It was an insult to my very existence!"

Jay glanced at Amethyst. "Uh, Runty?"

"What?"

"I mean, Skinny's practically glommed onto you by now. You gonna do somethin'?"

"Something tells me this is out of my control. Hey, Holly? Do me a favor and keep her whole. We need all the soldiers we can get."

"She's lucky I'm too wet to summon my whip without _electrocuting myself_!" Holly hissed.

"That  _might've_  been the plan all along, big bad," Skinny admitted.

"So is that a thing now? Is big bad Holly going by Big Bad?"

She pointed an accusing finger at Carnelian. "I did  _not_  agree to any nicknames!" She roared, breathless with anger.

" _Welcome to my world_ ," Amethyst sing-songed.

Skinny started laughing, bent over in the middle, hands on her knees. Amethyst thought the Jasper looked pretty cute, holding back tears with little snorting noises, but it only lasted as long as it took for Holly to turn and punch her in the chin. Skinny flew back against the tree with the hole in it.

The Agate shook out her hand, taking in a deep breath. "I do not enjoy being made a fool of."

Skinny rubbed her chin. "I mean, fair enough."

"Don't do it again."

"'Kay."

Holly pushed past her and into the treeline. Amethyst took a second to admire the Gem's ability to move so effortlessly through the foliage with heels tall enough to skewer a small mammal. "Well, that was a clustertruck."

"A what?"

"We aren't supposed to cuss around kids, Kay. Might hurt their eardrums."

"Amethyst, I'm sixteen years old and have had more stab wounds than you have freckles," said Connie. "You can say fuck. It's not gonna hurt my feelings."

"Force of habit. 'Sides; I don't like to use 'cluster' in vulgar stuff. S'like making fun of someone who can't defend themselves."

"Touche."

* * *

They stop for the night after covering a few more miles. The Famethyst lounge around on the forest floor, some sleeping, some not. Holly, still very sore from earlier, leans against a tree, back facing them. There's an inhuman screeching in the distance; it's a bit like if a lion ate a monkey.

"Sounds like it's keeping its distance," Connie reports, eyes flickering towards the trees in the distance eagerly. "Might be feeling us out."

"Yeah, probably. We're a big group, and we make a _lot_  of noise. You up to feeling back?"

Their shoulders straighten. "Absolutely."

"Good. We're gonna keep heading for the mini-plateau. See if you can lure it close somehow. If you can't find any sign of it in two days, come back."

Connie nods, grabs their sword, and glances up at the stars. "I can probably find my way back to the pond. I'll go up from there."

"Good luck."

"You too."

They adjust their strap, slipping into the trees. Amethyst waits until she can't hear or see them before slipping into the pile to get some shut eye. It's a bit cramped- she's not used to having so many bedmates- but light is softer than dirt. She tells herself that Connie is awesome and can handle themselves just fine before slipping off.

A sharp pain in her foot wakes her. Carnelian is sitting up, staring frantically into the woodland.

"Where's Renegade?" she whispers.

"Rene-wha?" Amethyst responds intelligently, yawning.

"Renegade. Connie."

" _Ooh_. I sent them on ahead." The Quartz waved her hand, falling back onto the warm side she'd been sleeping on. "S'no biggie."

"You sent them off  _alone_?"

Amethyst cracked open an eye, shoving down a handful of doubts. Trust. She just needs to trust in them. "Connie is a tough knight, dude. They can handle it."

"Won't they get lonely?"

" _Lonely_? I mean, yeah, I guess? We kinda got bigger problems than that, though. A couple days solo won't kill them."

Carnelian flopped beside her. "I don't get you, littlest sis. You live all by yourself with that fusion and that pearl-"

" _Garnet and Pearl_."

"-And, yeah, you've got Tiny Pink to keep you company, but you're practically all alone. Don't you hate it?"

"Why would I?"

She shrugged. "It's not how Quartzes are supposed to live."

"It's how I've lived for thousands of years. I like having a place to hide away that's all my own, and having room to breathe and stretch."

"Well, yeah," she responded, nodding. "Everyone likes that."

"I got that. All the time. It's sweet."

Carnelian shook her head again and fell silent, baffled.

* * *

Connie felt the ground fall out from under them suddenly, pain flaring in their ankle. The knight catches themselves with their hands and knees, just barely avoiding an inopportune faceplant.

"Rabbit holes. Right." They rolled onto their rear, feeling their ankle protest. "This is going on the list of 'never telling anyone this happened, ever.'"

They get up and keep moving, ankle throbbing. It's been two days since they left the Famethyst, and Connie likes to think they've done fairly well for themselves. They're much more agile alone, slipping through the trees and the bushes. They bagged some food to eat and some water to boil and drink, sleeping in the crook of a tree branch. The trail of wreckage started a day ago and has continued ever since; broken trees, deep gouges in the dirt, the usual MO. Connie estimates the corruption to be about four times longer than they would be laying down, and perhaps three times as tall. And once they brought this thing down, there was no way Pearl wouldn't be proud of them.

Of course, that isn't to say Pearl isn't already proud. She always is. She cried for an hour the first time they took her down solo, hugging and ruffling clothes and generally just fussing. She baked a whole cake when Steven beat her on the same day, gushing incessantly to Garnet and Amethyst and Peridot- pretty much anyone who'd listen, honestly.

No, Pearl is very proud. Too proud, sometimes. So much so Connie fears that she isn't proud at all, and is faking for their sake.

Regardless, this time they're going to earn that praise.

Connie thought back to their new nickname. Renegade. It didn't fit like it did with Pearl. The Renegade Connie just didn't have a good ring to it. No Gem would ever get a shudder when they heard it. It came off as a mockery of their mentor's title; a satirical quip. They'd have to work on that too.

The snapping and snarling ahead gave them pause. Connie edged behind an untouched tree, fingers wrapping around the hilt of their sword. No time like the present.

Keeping low, Connie did a wide sweep around the trail created by the creature, awkwardly stepping over branches and bushes, crunching leaves. This was no place for proper stealth, though Connie did the best they could.

The corruption appeared after a few minutes, chewing noisily on a tree. Matted hair (or would this constitute as fur?) clung to its back, billowing around it. Horns protruded slightly from its skull; all the ramming and scratching had broken them off, it seemed. Blue and green swirls decorated its thick skin in odd shapes and sizes; a green stripe cut down the face, a purple foot clawed at the dirt, to name a few.

A Quartz. Ametrine, if they had to guess. Connie wasn't sure if that was a naturally occurring Gem, or if perhaps an Amethyst and Citrine had melded together as time went on. Corruption behavior is largely a mystery.

The new Crystal Gem ducked lower, hesitantly drawing their sword. Now that they had seen it in person, they weren't sure how they were going to move it anywhere. Climb a tree and ride it? No, that would only get her broken limbs. If they were careful, they might be able to cut at its legs and poof it.

Their twisted ankle screamed. Connie hadn't noticed the root until they'd tripped on it, dropping the blade. It hit the ground with a dull thud.

The corruption screeched.

* * *

"Sounds like  _someone's_  got their gem in a twist."

"It probably just fell into a rabbit hole or somethin'. There's a bunch of 'em 'round here."

"That's not shock," Bareface chipped in quietly, as if afraid the corruption would overhear and be offended. "That's a mad monster thingy, that's what that is."

"It's not a  _monster_. And I'd be mad too- falling into one of those things  _hurts_." Amethyst patted the distraught Jasper's knee. "Let's just keep going. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go home."

Carnelian glanced over her shoulder warily. "Are you  _sure_  Renegade'll be okay?"

"Con' can take care of themselves. The best way we can help is by getting onto that plateau."

* * *

The first thing it did was rip the tree Connie was hiding behind out by the roots, sending an arc of dirt crackling to the ground as the corruption chucked it with a heave, uncaring where it landed. Then, when Connie stood, sword and scabbard in hand, it latched its maw onto them, engaging in a one-sided tug-of-war. The weapon joined the carnage, landing in some bushes. The corruption advanced, roaring like a lion with a bone caught in its windpipe.

Connie fell back onto their rump to avoid being in snapping range. Terror pulsed in their muscles; without a weapon, they were about as threatening as a fly. A fly skilled in self-defense, true, but still nothing dangerous. It wasn't like they could snap its neck or send its nose into its skull.

The Ametrine sniffed them and growled, looking torn. Finally, it pawed at the dirt in warning and shuffled away.

"What the hell?" Connie found themselves too weak to stand. "That's it? My first mission under oath and I get the  _nice_  corruption?"

It swung a claw at them, just barely missing the crown of their head. It hissed and turned away.

_Or maybe not._

They glanced at their mud-spattered clothes.  _Can it smell the Famethyst on me? Does it think_  I'm  _just a weird Quartz of some kind?_

They debated how good or bad this was. The corruption obviously saw them as a nuisance, which would help with leading into the plateau. But it also meant that their part to play in all of this depended on the Gems, which is the exact opposite of what they wanted.  _Take your losses with dignity, Connie. No one needs to know._

The corruption rolled onto its side, tongue lolling. Embarrassment flourished under their skin.

* * *

The mountain mission had quickly devolved as time went on. At first it had been thrilling and breathtaking- the scenery, the idea of having a purpose- but now it was just a bunch of pretty trees and mud and some big rock thing to climb. Amethyst didn't seem to mind all that much, simply pulling up her hair and marching on, but they weren't designed for this. At the very least, they'd never been used for this. Their primary function had been to care for humans, not to fight, and with every noise the corruption made it become a little more real, a little more frightening.

Ol' Kitty Ears was a fairly quiet Jasper, almost always hanging on the edges of the crowd, to the left or right of an Amethyst. She was a trickster; she enjoyed the anonymity her silent nature had given her and used it often, leaving buckets of water above doors or whoopee cushions under seats. Her most favorite of her victims was, of course, Holly Blue. She didn't startle as easily as maybe Chip or Strawberry, but she took it  _very_  personally when she did, yelling and screaming. This, of course, meant that they weren't very close- quite the opposite, really. So when she came to walk on the left of the Agate the Gem immediately tensed. That was another thing; Holly liked to fight. You had to be real careful not to provoke her to that fight. "Hey, Holly?"

" _What_?" she snapped curtly.

"How does this plateau-thingy help us fight better?" She, out of all of them, should know. She was an Agate.

Holly examined her. "It doesn't. It's a senseless time-waster."

"But-"

Amethyst had heard them. "It's so we can all fight stretched out. If we fought in the woods we'd be tripping over each other."

Holly snorted derisively but didn't respond.

"And why send Renegade?" Strawberry inquired hesitantly, eyes darting between the two, hands up for peace. The Amethyst was never one for conflict. "One of us coulda gone. Quicker, too."

"Connie needs the win, and I trust them to know how to find their way back. No offense, but ya'll suck at navigation."

"Fair enough," said Skinny.

"You put that scrawny little human's feelings over the mission, then."

"You got somethin' to say, Big Bad?"

Her nose wrinkled. "I just did. None of this has been logical." Holly gestured behind them. "You brought everyone when you really only need a few; you sent the weakest one here to confront the enemy, and now we're wandering around to find a  _rock_  that does  _nothing_  other than elevate us a bit."

"Hey," Amethyst warned. "I know the way. I've been here loads of times."

"This mission has been a disaster. You've _made_  it a disaster." Holly waved her hand dismissively. "We could've shattered that Gem and gone back to the base two days ago, but you're making this as complicated as you can. You  _want_  this to fail."

Skinny took a threatening step forward, hands bunching into fists. "Lay off, Blue, or I'll lay you out."

"I don't have to fight to prove I'm right. We all know it's true."

The Famethyst awkwardly glanced at one another, unwilling to give the Gem the pleasure of being right by speaking their doubts aloud. Amethyst's face went blank, almost disinterested, as she took those few steps to be toe-to-toe with Holly. She realized too late that it made her lack of height (and, in turn, Holly's sheer size) even more prominent.

"You wanna lead this mission?" she asked. "'Cause you can go right ahead. Good luck finding anything out here."

Holly's lip curled. She looked at Amethyst as if she were dirt on her heel. "I don't lead traitors."

Amethyst pointed at her, unintentionally jabbing her in the belly; the highest point she could reach. "You're a hypocrite."

Holly took in a deep breath- in, then out. She spoke with a self-awareness that made them all stare. "I know," she sighed. "But even a hypocrite has to fall back on their morals. I don't lead traitors. That's final."

"Then don't go running your mouth like you wanna."

"I'd say to try and make me, but I'm pretty sure the Amethyst closest to me would punch me in the lip."

"Yeah," Jay admitted without any particular rancor. "I would."

* * *

Connie lets the corrupted Gem lead. It takes them uphill, making frequent stops to gnaw on trees. It chucked a branch at them for what they assumed was a peace offering. They swing it around for a bit before tossing it into the distance.

They try to come up with a solution as the day goes on, but nothing viable comes to mind. Irritation had caused the creature to follow for a mile, mile and a half, before shambling away. The Ametrine either didn't recognize or didn't care about their tone of voice, be it coaxing or demanding. Food was a worthless venture- it didn't seem to swallow anything it chewed, spitting out shards and splinters before moving on. By the time night settled Connie knew they'd lost the battle.

 _So, this must be what it's like when they talk about an unstoppable force and an immovable object._  Connie watched as the Ametrine diligently built itself a nest out of shrubbery.  _I suppose that means it's time for me to go to the extreme. What that extreme is... well, I've got time to work that out yet._

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Connie let out an embarrassing shriek as the Ametrine gripped them by the collar of their shirt, pulling the knight to rest beside them. It gave off no heat; Gems never did. The shame that had been firmly gripping their throat only rose.  _Good job, Maheswaran. You're such an intimidating Crystal Gem. Truly a threat_. They blew a loose tuft of hair out of their face. They really did need to re-do their ponytail.  _It's playing sleepover with you, for pete's sake._

 _It could be worse,_ they told themselves. _Steven could be here. He'd coo and demand photos and blech. He means well. Still a no._ Connie settled in with a shuffling of their limbs, listening to the corruption growl and snort. They didn't know if it was asleep or just really noisy.

Guilt gurgled in her belly; they were pretty sure it got invited by shame.  _I was supposed to go to that appointment at the tattoo parlor... I only skipped it to do my job, shuffled getting my star- Rose's big thing- to the side for a mission... look how far that's gotten me... stars above am I terrible at this..._

Alright. That was enough. They'd spent plenty of time feeling sorry for themselves and not enough working on the actual problem at hand. A Crystal Gem didn't back down. Didn't know  _how_. They kept punching until something worked. Connie made a silent vow to have the corruption heading towards the rendezvous before sunset the next day. Connie closed their eyes and tried to sleep.

_It obviously has a thing for trees, so let's see how much it enjoys fire..._

* * *

Holly Blue Agate had never been properly trained. At least, not in one sitting. Mourning the death of a Diamond is busy work, no doubt about it. If a freshly made Agate doesn't quite have a grasp on her task during the hullabaloo- no one cared. Just pretend to do your job and you're golden.

 _Holly_  minded. She always had. She'd made sure to make up for it- pouring herself into her duties, working to build a bond with Blue Diamond (as close as a Diamond could  _bear_  lowering herself for an Agate, of course; Holly knew she was idealistic at times, but she was no fool), keeping her charges in line. She knew how to fix the machinery and how to pitch her voice just right it made most Gems feel guilty for whatever reason. Vague shame always hit its mark, though it wasn't as powerful as an aggressive statement.

Point being; she  _did_  things. She was going  _places_. Maybe not in the time frame she wanted, but there was still something  _there_. Blue Diamond would never have given her a spot in the memorial of Pink Diamond if there wasn't.

Until 'the incident.' Holly kicked a stone into the pond; she'd managed to find herself back this far, but she didn't know if she could make it to the warp pad. She couldn't just return, could she? No. That would be humiliating. She'd had quite enough of Skinny's little mind games and Ol' Kitty Ears' little pranks and Amethyst's little mistakes. Little form, really. It hurt her neck to look at her for long.

Fine. She'd find that insufferable creature herself and put it out of its misery. Surely, if she did that, they'd allow her to stay? She couldn't see why they wouldn't.  _I'd save them days of work and hassle. That's more than that 'Runty' ever did._

Holly glanced at the pond one last time. For as much as she hates this place, even she couldn't deny it had its little beauties. Most things did. The stars glittered above, unheeded by light or other pollution, and seemed as if Homeworld's galaxy was the biggest and brightest of them all. The water hardly rippled. She knew from earlier that it was cool and calm to the touch, much like the pebbles around her boots. She took one into her hand, feeling it with the pad of her thumb. The urge to sing was pressing in on her, a dry tickle of the throat, and she resisted it.

Singing and crying- that's a Crystal Gem thing. But she never did get to do it on Homeworld, and, deep down, she enjoyed it. One moment of personal freedom- who needed to know?

Her voice was low, quiet at first, slowly growing in confidence. She always did like slow songs.

 _I've played my part_  
_As is expected_  
_I've made my mark_  
_As is expected._  
_No one on Homeworld would miss me_  
_And honestly, that needs fixin'_  
_But if you think this ugly hovel will be my grave, well..._

_Just you wait._

She strode forward with grace, heels thudding quietly against the dirt.

 _I was born_  
_For a purpose_  
_Something classy_  
_Something perfect_  
_And if those off colors think they can hold me down_  
_Just you wait_  
_I'll prove them wrong._

Holly chucked the stone into the ground with brutal force, lodging it deep in the dirt.

 _An Agate and a Quartz_  
_There's no real difference_  
_We're strong_  
_We're capable_  
_Those defects_  
_May be the exceptions_  
_But otherwise we're fellow classes of higher making._

 _Quartzes for guarding_  
_Agates for intimidating_  
 _In a dark room_  
 _Height and color_  
 _Hardly even matter._

 _But Agates have_  
_This little spark_  
 _Somethin' that divides us from the riff-raff_  
 _We're built self-righteous!_  
 _Unwilling to barter_  
 _But deep down, that's not quite true._

_Putting it nicely, we'll come along nicely_   
_We'll do anything to not end up dead_   
_Quite the set self-preservation skills_   
_I'm proud to have them._   
_Any sane Gem would._

_When Homeworld's eroded_   
_And all has been broken_   
_You can count on the Agates to have made it out_   
_Oh, yes._

_So just you wait._

_You trust in this simple lot_   
_And their stupid views_   
_Give it time_   
_It'll all fall out from under you_   
_And I'll laugh_   
_But that's just how Quartzes are_   
_Willing to sacrifice_   
_Even their own life_   
_Just to prove a point_

She paused, glancing around guilty to see if anyone had overheard. No one had, of course. This place was empty. Her little secret. Holly snapped a low branch off a tree, gesturing like it were a sword and she the knight, fighting off some invisible enemy.

 _The first thing they teach you_  
_The day you crawl out of your hole_  
_Is not to give away your dignity_  
_Then they wrap you up_  
_With a whip and a grin_  
_And show you the truth._

 _If you want me to bow..._  
_I'll bow._

_But don't imagine things ending good for you._   
_You'll regret it_   
_You'll regret it_   
_You'll regret it_

_Just give it time..._

(Here, her voice rose slightly in pitch, drawing out 'time'.)

 _You think I'm the Big Bad_  
_Well, just look at you_  
_Give it time_  
_I'll prove I'm better than you_


	2. Part Two

"Look, I'm not gonna say Holly's wrong. She's not."

"Then make her wrong."

"I know what you're getting at, but that sounds  _really_  flippin' intimidating."

"Good. Rawr."

Another day had passed. Still no sign of Connie. Holly Blue had left to blow off steam and never returned. The others were beginning to make bets if she ever would, if she was too stubborn, or if she'd somehow gotten her gem eaten by a bear. Admittedly, Amethyst hadn't put up much of a fuss, letting them sprawl out and around and joke about her coney hair. It didn't feel right to. They'd been her victims for  _years_ \- how could she take this small victory away from them?

Now she lay sprawled out on the mini-plateau, hair tangled and tugging, legs dangling. Skinny had joined her hours prior, staring up at the stars. It was like the cliff all over again. "I helped make this, y'know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. When we were Alexandrite one time. A crack of the whip and here we are."

"I've been meaning to ask. Can I fiddle with it? I'm curious."

"Sure." Amethyst plucked it from her gem with a shrug, coiled, draping it across Skinny's thin hand. She could barely make it out of the corner of her eye as the Gem tugged on the whip, testing its durability. "I was sore for, like, a week after."

"After?"

"We cut the plateau."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Fusion's always made me tired. I get all blech and lay around my room for a day or two after."

"You do that anyway."

"True dat, though it's kinda nice to have a reason for once."

Skinny tested the tip on one of the stones with her index finger, feathering over it. "Have you ever gotten tangled in one of these? I feel like I'd get tangled in these all the time."

"You have no idea. I've poofed myself, like, two or three times."

"You poofed yourself on your own weapon? I didn't know that was possible."

"It is when you're a dingus all alone in the Kindergarten with no one to teach you how to not be a dingus."

The Jasper paused, blinked at the weapon a second, then glanced at her. "Uh, Runty?"

"Don't say it."

"Amethyst."

"Skinny."

"That's... that's something everyone knows. It's in our code"

Amethyst crossed her arms defensively. "Well,  _I_  didn't."

"Oh."

"Don't be like that. I'll bet Carnelian was the same way."

"She never said as much."

"She wouldn't. It's embarrassing."

"I knew what I was doing. I just figured-"

"Yeah, well. Every defect is defective in different ways. Maybe I'm the only one."

They lapsed into frosty silence. The whip in Skinny's hands dispersed in a quiet flash of light and she let the weapon go, propping her hands on her belly. Homeworld's galaxy glittered above them; a harsh reminder. "I think it's kinda neat, honestly. You got to be a completely fresh experience."

"Nah, not really," she said. "I've still got instincts. It's just, I dunno, a mishmash. I never left the Kindergarten 'cause I was waiting for assignment. When Rose died it was like I did too- my Quartz loyalty on overdrive. I dunno how to do that salute thingy, but I can follow orders when I gotta."

"What, this?" Skinny crossed her arms, creating a tight diamond shape across her chest.

"Yeah, that. Don't it hurt?"

"No, but I can see why you might be out of practice." She dropped her arms. The position had felt a bit too familiar for comfort. "I guess I just got used to doing it. I think I thought I was built for it."

"I think you thought wrong."

"I think you might be right. Are we going down this conversational lane some more, or can I turn this back to Holly?"

"Holly is a complicated topic. I don't think I've really got the know-how to conversate about Holly."

"At least you're real about it," Skinny permitted, cradling her head with her arms. She grew oddly sober. "I'm pretty sure I hate her. Isn't that  _fair_ , though? Hating her?"

"Yeah, dude. Totally fair."

"It's just... sometimes I feel like I'm taking it too far, y'know? Like I'm being just as bad as she was."

"I can't tell you anything about that."

"You're no help."

"Yup!"

She stuck her tongue out at her. " _Point being_ , we've all got beef with Holly. Holly is a very beef-worthy Gem.  _Don't_  let that beef be that you think she's right about you."

"There's a bit of a flaw in that."

"Being?"

"That sometimes her beliefs are factual. Don't get me wrong-  _she's_  wrong. Holly's the wrong-est Gem in our roster here. But that  _doesn't_  mean she can't say stuff like 'the Earth is round' and not be right about it."

"That's common sense."

"Exactly. Even Holly has it. Her's is just, I dunno, defective."

"Big Bad? Defective?" Skinny laughed. "What a plot twist!"

"Shut  _up_ , Skinny, I'm making a point here."

"Sorry, sorry." She waved a perfectly manicured hand. "Go on."

Amethyst shot her a sour look, thick lips pursed. "Look. I like my chill vibe. All that worry and stressin'- that's for Pearl and Garnet and Rose. No one ever expected me to be a leader. If we're being real, which we are, I don't think they expected me to be much of anything. And I know they don't _mean_  to be patronizing or anything, but the first time I held Steven Pearl told me she didn't think I could be so gentle and- that stuff _sticks with you,_  ya' dig? So, yeah, Garnet said okay to this, but she's just waiting for us to come home and never try this again. She knows it won't work out."

"Why do you _care_  so much? Some fusion shouldn't be able to tell you-"

Skinny found herself nose-to-nose with the short Gem. Her hands had tightened into tiny purple fists. "Her name is Garnet."

The Jasper seemed to recognize she'd stepped on a line, and moved her head back accordingly. "Garnet shouldn't stop you from doing what you think is right."

"This isn't about Garnet."

"You sure like making it about her, though."

"You jelly?"

"No, I'm Skinny."

The retort had her rolling to her side, insulted. "I'm done talking with you for the night."

"That's fair," she decided, and left her be.

* * *

"I should've updated my will," Connie hummed to themselves as they examined the thick stick in their hands. Their sword clunked awkwardly against their hip. "Then again, we all know I'm giving everything to the cat."

The sun was just beginning to rise over the crest of the hills, adding a glow to the Ametrine's long mane as it bent down to chew on yet another branch. Connie didn't think the corrupted Quartz was particularly perturbed by the time of day- honestly, Connie didn't know how something with no eyes saw; did it use echolocation? Was it just blind, feeling its way around? Yet another mystery- but they wanted to give themselves as much of an advantage as they could. Sunlight made escape a bit easier. That's all that mattered.

The grain of the wood irritated Connie's skin as they idly rolled back and forth, examining the lighter they'd plucked from their pocket. It was a simple little thing, with a clear blue gas tank. They'd brought it to light fires easier, should they find making one manually to be too trying. In a sense, this little experiment wasn't deviating from that. It just happened to include more corruptions than originally planned. "Well, if I'm gonna die in the middle of nowhere, it might as well be in a literal blaze of glory. Pun intended. Steven'll be so proud."

Connie held the branch by the fingertips, the lighter next to a nice looking leaf. "Attempt One. Let's see if Connie Maheswaran has a death wish."

They flicked the lighter on.

* * *

Amethyst falls asleep that night troubled and jolts awake to trouble.

Skinny is beside her- had she ever left?- pressing a long hand to her shoulder to keep her from falling off the plateau. She's not smiling now. "That doesn't sound like happy monster noises."

"It's not a monster. It's a corruption."

"Well, they aren't happy corruption noises, either."

Amethyst held her breath as the corruption's roaring sent birds flying. It wasn't close, but it wasn't far, either. "Oh, man. That is  _not_  a happy corruption."

"I just said that."

"I'm repeating it. For emphasis."

Strawberry pushed between them, staring into the distance. "Is it comin' for us, Runty?"

For once, Amethyst didn't complain about the nickname. She patted the purple Gem's arm. "Not yet, 'berry. We'll know when it's coming, believe me."

"I dunno if I can do this," she admitted, hissing air between her teeth. "You won't be mad if I don't, will you?"

"'Course not. Nobody _has_  to do anything." Amethyst awkwardly leaned on the larger Gem, offering what comfort she could. It's weird to think she's supposed to be as big as her. Deep down, she didn't think she  _wanted_  to be that huge. The power would be nice, the pure strength in Strawberry's fists could lay almost anyone out flat, but being tiny and soft is kind of her  _thing_. "We ain't about that life here."

"Yeah, 'berry, they're a different kind here." Skinny nudged her with her foot. "They got that special oath thing, remember?"

"You really don't like the idea, do you?"

"I never said that."

Strawberry's face lit up. "We could make our own oath! If that's okay, I mean."

"I don't see Garnet having a conniption over it," she assured her. Strawberry had always reminded her of Steven when he was a baby. She had a natural aversion to violence. She also had killer hugs. Go fig.

Skinny stood with a little huff. "Alright, ya'll. 'Berry wants an oath scene. We doin' an oath scene. Somebody, get yer sword out. Let's do it king blondie style. Runty, you too. You can officiate."

"Me?"

"Why not? You've taken an oath before. You know how it all works."

"Okay, okay, fine." Amethyst got to her feet a bit awkwardly, with one last glance at the horizon. She hoped Connie was okay. "I'll officiate, or whatever."

"You heard the Gem!" Skinny called, startling a few Quartzes out of a doze. "We oath-in' over here. Pull it in."

* * *

"This was a bad idea!" Connie says. Yells. Whatever. The Ametrine lets out a shriek they translate into 'No kidding!', swinging a huge claw forward. They deflected with the sword, grinding their feet into the ground to avoid falling back.

There's only so much weight they can take before they're stumbling back. Connie backtracks, swinging their sword when the corruption tries to follow. This was bad. They'd expected a reaction to the fire, but they hadn't expected it to attack. They weren't sure they could fend it off alone- they never had before. Steven was always with them; their jam bud, their healer, their friend.

Connie fell, and their arm hit the burning foliage. In a moment of sloppy work, they rolled and curled in on themselves, tangling the sword for a second and cutting their knee before landing on their rear and slashing at the Ametrine again. It reared up and slammed its claws down, roaring in their face.

This was, indeed, a very bad idea. Perhaps that will update was more pressing than they'd suspected.

There's a brief thudding sound nearby, not audible over the fire and roaring and swords clashing, and then Holly Blue is standing between them, slamming her fists down on the Ametrine's maw. It stops on a dime. The cartoonish way its form bends and flattens reminds Connie of a cartoon character.

" _No_ ," Holly tells it, voice throaty from inhaling smoke. She spun on her heels to pick Connie up off the ground, lips pursed, eyes narrowed. The image is ruined a bit when the edge of her boot catches on a root, but otherwise the Agate kept her head high.

"We should probably find shelter," Connie tells her when they're out of sight. They can hear the corruption shaking off its bump in the distance. "Also, you're on fire."

"My capulet is on fire," she corrected. "I can't feel it."

"I can. The heat, I mean."

Holly let out a long sigh. "You humans fall apart over everything.  _Fine_."

They blinked their eyes and the capulet was gone. Holly kept on going, ducking some branches. Connie thought there was something oddly intimate about seeing the barren plane of her shoulders, if intimate was the correct term. They were certain that it was a sight very few got to saw; after all, it wasn't like Holly had shown any interest in suitors, even after leaving Homeworld, and she had bluntly refused to ditch her diamond. Whatever the term may be, Connie knew this was an oddity.

"You have a little, uh- a little red water going there."

"It's called blood."

"Well, blood is absolutely  _disgusting_."

"For once, I completely agree." Connie tried to shift in her arms, but her grip was rock solid. Pun intended. Steven would be extra proud. "You can let me down, you know."

Holly kept her eyes ahead, though they were under the impression she wanted to roll them. "Can't you tell? That creature is out for you. Unless you intend to get shattered, I suggest you just shut up. I'm faster."

Connie knew better than to argue. "Did Amethyst send you?"

Her nose wrinkled. "Would I be here if that waste of rock asked me to be?"

"Mean, but fair enough."

"I didn't get my job to be nice. Can't you plug up that blood? It's getting all over me."

"I kind of need to wrap it. With bandages. Which is a bit tricky when I'm getting carried marriage-style."

Holly grunted to show she understood. Or perhaps just to show her displeasure.

She didn't stop until morning, when she found a small opening between two rocks and set her down inside. She clapped her hands, grimacing at the stain on her form. "You humans need food, correct?"

Connie nodded. "And water."

"Asteroids, is there anything you  _don't_  need?"

"Death, preferably," they said, a little bashfully. The full weight of what had happened was beginning to hit. Owing their life to the Gem who did nothing but antagonize any other day was a hard fact to swallow. Connie reached into their pockets and came up with a roll of bandages and some rubbing alcohol. The burn on their arm tingled unpleasantly.

"I'm going to go get those things," Holly informed them. She didn't even looked winded. "Stay here. The corruption is probably resting right now."

"To prepare for the hunt."

"Probably, yes. You've made it very angry."

"I can't say as I blame it."

The Agate rolled her shoulders. "I hardly see how that applies to this conversation. Regardless, I'll be back in a few hours." She dismissively flicked her hand at them. "Stop that bleeding... thing before I return."

Connie wrapped their leg, then the burn on their arm, which wasn't nearly as bad as they had originally suspected. After that they lit a fire to keep themselves warm and meditated. Now would be the worst of times to let anxiety get the better of them, especially with the now enraged Ametrine on the loose and Holly Blue Agate as their only company. No sympathy here.

Holly came back with some water and a fish, still flopping, as night fell once again. Connie had never seen the Gem look so disgusted as she did handing the food over to the knight. They killed it and set it to cook, then drank up the water while she settled in, a single white heel daringly close to the flames.

"You still haven't put your capulet back on," they noticed.

"I haven't," she agreed, but didn't do anything about it.

Connie awkwardly straightened themselves from their slumped position. "One thing I've noticed about most Homeworld Gems is that they're not as acquainted with certain powers as perhaps they should be."

"Are you suggesting something?"

"You don't know how to shapeshift, do you?"

Holly turned her head to peer into the darkness. One of her hands covered her mouth. Finally she stated in a low tone; "I've never had a reason to master it. My form is perfect."

"That seems illogical." They held their hands up at Holly's glare. "I mean, what if one of the Famethyst rebelled and your form was hurt? Like Amethyst's squint. That's a big weakness to you, isn't it?"

"I call for help."

"Help?"

Holly leaned forward a bit, as if sharing a great secret. Her face was blank. "This isn't complicated, Renegade. I call for assistance. They help me fix my form. That way, once all is better, I have a second witness account should I be called into court."

"By 'fix' I assume you mean poof?"

She shrugged carelessly. "My whip is strong, but it's not something I'd like to destroy myself with. A good Ruby can do it in far less time."

Connie bit their lip. It was easy to see both sides of the argument, though neither one seemed more appealing than the other. Brutally injuring your form with an electric whip sounds... harsh. But, on the other hand, having to wait for another Gem to come along seemed just as harsh, if not more so. Had it been one of the Famethyst, it would be perceived as weakness; at least, that was the way the knight thought the Agate would take to the idea. Cornered on all sides with no way out. "This probably won't make a whole lot of sense, but moments like this make me really glad to be made of squish. I mean, yeah, I'm way more fragile, but once I'm done, I'm done. I don't have to keep coming back after dying."

"We don't die when we... what did you call it? Poof? Such a simple word."

"Humans are a simple bunch."

"So I've gathered. My point is this; your  _body_  hurts because it wants to heal. My  _form_  hurts because it wants to break and rebuild. It's- it's very  _different_."

"I can imagine," they said, then rectified, "actually, no, I can't."

Holly seemed to be having issues looking them in the eye. She pulled her knees closer to her chest. "I remember, one time," she started, visibly unsure, "I had gotten hurt on an old bit of equipment. There was an Agate in my area, so she was told to come visit me. I'd never hosted another Agate before, and I didn't know what to do. Was I supposed to make a big deal out of it, even though the whole thing was supposed to be dealt with quietly? I eventually settled on covering the wound and meeting her privately in the docking bay. Her face- she was totally empty. Not even a speck of pride, or anger, or even hatred. It was all gone. I led her through the back way, and she started going on about how  _nice_  it was to be so remote, even with the off colors. I gave my programmed response- it was my duty, and I did my duty as I was made for. That was around when she jumped me."

"She  _attacked_  you?"

"Yes."

"To poof you?"

"No."

"Oh."

Her eyes flickered up to her, then down to the fire. " _Obviously_ , I fought her off. No Agate is so weak they wouldn't die without a fight. I dispatched her, grabbed her weapon, and did the same for myself. It was the hardest night of my life."

"Did you file a report?"

Holly lifted her head off her arms. "What for?"

"Getting  _attacked_?"

"Nonsense. I handled myself just fine. If I hadn't; well, it was just another step of the weeding process. Agates regulate each other far more closely than our superior officers do. Working on my lonesome has given me a level of personal freedom not usually warranted to regular Holly Blues. I got what I got and here I am."

Connie hesitantly reached out to grab their food from the fire. "Can I propose an opinion?"

"You might as well. I've mortified myself many times over already just by talking like this- perhaps the review will help me to do it more smoothly."

"I don't think you ever really wanted to intimidate or scare Gems. At least, I don't think that was your main goal. I think you just want to be respected."

"I could've told you that," Holly rebuffed. "We all know that lot won't ever respect me again. It's been hard on me."

"Did they ever? Respect you, I mean."

Holly was quiet for a long time after that. Finally, she shook her head. "No, I don't think they ever did. And I suppose that's fair."

Connie took a bite of their fish and swallowed. It tasted terrible. "I'm surprised you're willing to tell me this."

"So am I. The fusion-"

"Garnet."

"Right. Her. She told me to be polite to you flesh creatures, and far be it from me to argue the Gem who'd toss me into a pool of lava without hesitation. This is a  _bit_  more sociable than politeness, however." The Agate finally seemed to notice the boot next to the fire and shifted accordingly with a sigh, voice flat. "I've overstepped my boundaries again."

They considered reaching out to touch her hand, but that seemed far too personal. Holly would assuredly knock it aside and refuse to share again. They spent the rest of the night in silence, nursing their personal wounds.

* * *

The day is warm as it goes on, heating the semi-smooth stone. The Famethyst is an awkward huddle on the plateau, milling about and muttering quietly to each other. One of them had gotten the sword Skinny had requested, though Amethyst hadn't exactly seen who. It was a pretty blade, as far as they go- thin and long, a deep purple that contrasted the bright light. A thing of beauty, especially for a purple knife.

"Pearl would kill to be in my place right now," Amethyst hummed, carelessly examining the sword, one hand on her hip. "She's a sword fanatic."

Skinny patted her shoulder but otherwise ignored her, scanning the gathered Quartzes with a practiced eye. "I think Chip should go first."

Chip glanced around, then pointed at herself. "Who, me?"

"Yeah. We all know how much Strawberry hates going first, so she can be second."

"Yeah, Chip," said Sharky, playfully shoving her shoulder. "Be our trail-blazer."

"Well, alrighty then. I'm cool with this." The Gem earnestly shrugged and stepped forward, going on one knee. Chip was small, as far as full-grown Amethyst's go, but even then Amethyst had to make her arm go a weird angle to touch her shoulder with the sword. "Now what?"

"I have no idea," admitted Amethyst. "We didn't think this far ahead."

Suggestions began to flood in.

"Solemnly swear you're up to no good!"

"Just tap her on the shoulder with it."

"Fight for the sword!"

"No, that's a terrible idea. Somebody will absolutely get stabbed."

"Hey, Carny, I think they're talkin' 'bout you again."

" _Ulgh_. It was one time, guys! One! It was a really long sword, too!"

"Size doesn't matter, Carny."

"Uh,  _I_  beg to differ."

Amethyst whistled to garner their attention. "Off topic, let's move it back a few steps."

"Let's just make it up as we go along," offered Skinny, who was looking a bit irritable that they were talking it over.

"We've  _been_  doing that, Skinny, and look where it's gotten us."

"Well, let's do it _faster_ , shall we? We're not on unlimited time here. Just say something good about the Earth or whatever."

Amethyst and Chip exchanged a fond look. "She's so  _supportive_ ," the shorter one murmured blandly.

"She tries," Chip rebuffed, smiling. "Alrighty. I love this hunk of dirt, I love my fam, and I'll fight for 'em both. There. Oath done."

The group cheered and whistled as Amethyst comically tapped the Quartzes' shoulder with the blade, then stepped back. Chip stood up and stumbled a bit, rubbing her sore knees, but ultimately seemed proud of herself.

"Me next!" Sharky declared, playfully pushing Chip out of the way. She knelt with childish vigor. "Make me a Famethyst Gem, yo."

Amethyst began to lose count of the Gems she let ramble on. Almost all of them had a different way of going about the oath, though they were all fairly short and sweet. Ol' Kitty Ears had gotten down on her knees, blank faced, and said, "Yes." That was it. That was her entire oath. Another had told her she would have what the others were having.

It was refreshing, oddly enough. The years had only slightly eased the memory of her swearing in from her mind, though Connie's had done plenty to jump start it, and it was all so _boring_. Scary, too. No one wanted to be the Gem in the family that couldn't take such a big deal seriously enough. Well, normally she wouldn't mind being that Gem at all, but she hadn't wanted to see the disappointment in Rose's eyes. Things were different now. She was different now. This was a nice little reflection of that.

Last came Skinny, who gave her a long, purposeful look before getting on one knee. She was a lot more gangly than her cohorts. The Jasper winked at her. "Can I, like, swear to you? Or is that too saucy?"

"I mean, you'd basically be saying that the only reason you hang around on this rock is because of me and not your fam."

"I know."

"I think it's best to include them, don't you?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Her smile only grew. "'Kay. I swear on my hole to protect this planet, my fam, and this lil' defect. Is that good?"

"Which hole?" Jay asked with a snort.

"All of them, Kindergarten or otherwise," she returned smoothly. "Tap me, baby."

Amethyst did so, perhaps a little rougher than she had the others, but that was only to save face. She didn't deal well with these kinds of situations. Never had. It didn't help that she hadn't been flirted with in years. Pearl and Garnet were never a serious thing, so they didn't really count. "Y'know, this is supposed to be super sacred and stuff."

"It still is," Skinny reassured her, standing up with a little wince. "We're just making it sacred in a new way."

"Yeah, Runty," said Jay, slinging a hand around her shoulders. The height difference was too major for her whole arm- the hand was plenty. "Trust us, okay? We wouldn't ruin your thing."

"It's not  _my_  thing. I don't think it's anybody's thing. It's just a thing." And, like many things on good old planet Earth, it needed protecting. That was just part of the whole ordeal. At least, it was part of being a Crystal Gem. No one knew what being a Famethyst Gem entailed yet.

* * *

Holly heaved herself up the rock with less dignity and more practicality, whispering curse words in the guise of spacial forms. Many moons were featured, in names no human would recognize, as well as what she titled 'pathetic metal drums'. Connie worked out that the pathetic metal drums were, in all probability, satellites.

They reached the plateau by noon or thereabouts, Holly lifting Connie onto the flat structure with one hand. Almost immediately the others came to help them up; Amethyst and Carnelian grabbing the teenager while two fully-grown Amethysts assisted the Agate. One of them patted her on the back. "Hey, you lost your swooshy-cape. Good for you!"

"It's a  _capulet_ ," she replied irritably, but with decent enough humor. "And it caught fire. A fire, I might add, that I didn't set.  _Somebody_  thought it would be a good idea to set the forest on fire. That somebody was not me."

"Still, good of you to get rid of it. Black is  _definitely_  your color."

"Hey, Renegade," Carnelian greeted, letting them lean on her shoulder as they got to their feet. "Yer leaking, my dude. You, uh- you gonna plug that, or..."

"This is as close to plugged as it gets," Connie told her, brushing some rubble off their pants. "By the way, it's an Ametrine. It's maybe three hours behind us."

Holly's frown soured. " _Someone_  decided it'd be a grand idea to tick it off."

"That's fine." Amethyst waved Holly off. "We needed it to come this way, remember? Did you find its gemstone?"

"I didn't. Holly?"

The Agate reluctantly shook her head.

"Well, that's bad. We can't risk hitting the gem."

"Why not? Tiny Pink can heal it."

"That would mean unbubbling it in the house, which is a safety hazard to all squishy children." She curled a purple finger over her lips thoughtfully. "Our best option would be to subdue and find it. Holly, can you make your spark whips not be all sparky?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"Then that's what you gotta do. We can hold it back, find a safe place to stick it, and poof 'em."

Holly crossed her arms and said nothing. Amethyst took that as a yes.

"We can make it get here faster if we light as fire," Connie suggested. For someone who'd just yesterday feared for their life, they seemed fairly calm about all of this. Mostly, they just felt numb. "But it'll be angry."

"We're not here to make it pissy. We're here to help. Let it come on its own time."

They all sat around for the next few hours. Amethyst helped Connie re-wrap their bandages. Holly practiced pulling out her whips and striking, with a particular focus on having them be not electric, until someone snapped at her to give it a rest. She sat down, hands in her lap, and watched the horizon.

"I dunno if I can do this," Strawberry whispered as the corruption came closer, peeking out from between the trees.

"Then don't. Go hide in the trees. Nobody'll be mad at you if you do."

The Quartz nodded but made no attempt to leave.

The Ametrine approached slowly, almost cautiously, sniffing the air. Perhaps it caught scent of smoke, or just Connie themselves, because it growled as it got closer, one large paw in front of the other. Its shoulders bunched as it came to a stop, leering over the plateau, as if they had intruded on it and the corruption had gone on the defensive. There were splinters of wood in its teeth.

"Holly," Amethyst muttered under her breath.

There was an immediate reaction. The Agate yanked two plain blue whips as she stood, cracking them without hesitation. They wrapped around the corruption's front left leg and she pulled, bending at the knees a little bit. Amethyst did the same to its right leg, harmlessly stunting its movements. It thrashed and yanked, but they were strong enough so it didn't fall back and hurt itself. The process was to be as painless as they could manage.

"Can you take more weight on your end?" Amethyst called to Holly over the din. "I gotta get closer. I just gotta ruffle the chest floof a bit to make sure we don't accidentally kill it."

"I got this!" Carnelian called suddenly, darting over. She approached with her hands out, eyes roving over the Ametrine's mane. She hesitated to touch the corruption, overcome with the fear that the unfortunate waves in its form could travel via touch.

The Ametrine jerked, snapping, coming too close to the Gem for anyone's liking. Amethyst felt time slow down as she saw it happen- she found herself abandoning her whips, her post, and sprinting to the terrified Beta Gem. She hardly noticed herself shapeshifting until her teeth sunk into Carnelian's shoulder, flinging her back with her actual body weight. They hit the ground and skidded, maw still firmly in the red Gem's form, finally coming to a stop.

"That hurt!" she shrieked, grabbing the wound with a hiss.

Amethyst got to her feet. No, wait, these were paws. She was a wolf, large and purple-white and a bit badly shaped, like a children's drawing of what a wolf should be. Her tongue hung out from between her teeth, panting. "Woulda hurt a lot more if you were in its mouth, babes."

"Enough witty dialogue already!" Holly exclaimed. She'd forcefully ducked to to the opposite side of the Ametrine, grabbing one of Amethyst's forgotten whips. She looked more than a little overwhelmed. "Find a place to stick it, you louts!"

Unfortunately, her call only served to set the Ametrine's metaphorical sights on her. It leapt forward, only just barely missing the Agate as she frantically stepped back. Her grip never faltered on the whips, even as she slipped and struggled to keep her footing, brow pinched. She didn't call out for help.

Before the corruption could slash through her middle Skinny leapt into action, swiping at it with her own weapon- a pocket knife. It flinched, and in that second the Jasper tackled her to the ground. A rather undignified yelp left Holly's lips.

Skinny's quick thinking brought the rest of the Famethyst into action. Amethyst and Jaspers alike dove for the two Gems's whips, pulling them in random directions, tangling and confusing them. Others grabbed onto the Ametrine's arms and chest, forcing its head back. A bloodcurdling yowl ripped through their ears. The terror of the situation suddenly hit Amethyst, who found she couldn't transform into her normal form. She growled and prepared to pounce.

That's around when Connie's sword thrust through its middle.

"It never swallowed," they said into the sudden hush, "so its gem must be in its throat."

The Ametrine exploded into smoke.

* * *

Amethyst bubbled the corruption after regaining control of her shape, tapping the top with as much dignity as she could accomplish. She slumped back onto the solid ground and waited for the shaking to stop.

This wasn't nearly as scary when Pearl and Garnet were there.

"You do this _all_  the time?" Ol' Kitty Ears asked eventually. Strawberry had hidden in the crook of her arms.

"Not all the time," she corrected tonelessly. "Just most of the time."

"My shoulder hurts." Carnelian was still rubbing it. "What  _was_  that?"

"It was an Ametrine," Connie told her.

"No, not that." She gestured to the bite mark. "What was  _that_?"

"It was a wolf." Amethyst swatted her hand away. "An Earth predator. It's weird- I don't normally shapeshift when I'm stressed."

"So you  _weren't_  stressed?"

"Heck no. I was completely stressed. I think my body had a brain fart."

Skinny was draped across Holly's lap. The Agate sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, looking thoroughly embarrassed. She then awkwardly ruffled Skinny's white hair, attempting and failing to show affection. "I propose we never speak of this again."

The Jasper finally lifted her head to look Holly in the eye. It was the first time Amethyst had seen her serious since this whole shindig started. "I didn't save you because I like you. The way I saw it, if you died then, you would've gone out a hero. And I don't think you deserve to be remembered that way."

Holly was silent.

"That's an agreement, by the way."

Holly, still, was silent. She seemed stunned.

"Guys, guys!" Carnelian shouted. Amethyst flinched. Strawberry also flinched. "I finally got the perfect name for the newbie! She can be Wolfbite!"

"You're only saying that because you're salty she bit you," Sharky said, caught between humor and sobriety.

The red Gem shrugged. "A little, yeah, but she just said she doesn't shapeshift when stressed. But she totally did this time! It's, like, a sign."

"Well..." Amethyst said hesitantly. "It's a better nickname than Runty."

"We took an oath," Skinny added, almost conversationally, to the Agate she was half laying on. "You should take it too."

"I suppose I should," she agreed. Skinny finally rolled off of her lap. Holly finally had the sense of mind to vanish her own whips.

"Wolfbite! Wolfbite!" Carnelian chanted as she helped Amethyst to her feet, smiling. She seemed mostly over her damaged shoulder. "See, littlest sis? Nicknames can be fun!"

"Speaking of; Connie, you alive?"

The teenager was flat on their back, sword sprawled out next to them. "I'm exhausted. A little bloody. Mostly okay. Can we bring home some sticks, just in case it happens to break out?"

It probably won't, but Amethyst nods anyway.

"Well, since we're already here and Holly's missing her obnoxious swooshy-cape, I say we swear her in now." Skinny taps one of the Amethysts. "Hand me your sword. Wolfbite's got one more lady to oath-er-ize."

"Can't this wait?" Amethyst asked. "I'm really tired."

"It wouldn't be as special if we did it later," she insisted. "Besides, once this is all said and done you won't have to do it again."

She found herself with a purple blade shoved into her hands once again that day. The Famethyst spread out around to better watch. Holly glanced around quizzically, arms swinging stiffly at her sides, finally getting the hint when Jay graciously mimed bending down. "Oh. I see." She shuffled a little bit longer before resolutely bending down, putting herself on one knee.

Amethyst put the sword on her right shoulder. "Now you gotta, like, swear to do somethin'."

"Anything in particular I should focus on?"

"A personal goal, I guess? Don't swear to destroy us and I think you're good."

Holly paused thoughtfully, fingers sifting through the sand. She slowly lifted her eyes from the ground to her boots, then her hips, and finally her face. Her blue eyes were a weird mix of molten and vibrant.

"I swear to prove anyone who's ever doubted me wrong."

Amethyst tapped her shoulder with the blade. Holly bowed her head as they cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap it's finally done! I've had a lot of fun, writing the beginnings of the Hollydemption. Also plenty of witty dialogue, mild innuendos, etc.
> 
> -Mandaree1

**Author's Note:**

> Obvious Hamilton reference is Obvious, but I don't mind. Have some Skinmethyst and Hollydemption (the very beginnings thereof, I mean)
> 
> This is gonna be a two-parter, of course. I believe that's obvious.
> 
> -Mandaree1


End file.
